Even Human Rights Defenders are not safe in Pakistan: Seminar on HR Day

10 Dec 2017

HYDERABAD: December 10, 2017. (By Abbas Kassar) The struggle against enforced disappearance was seen in Sindh alone while though there have been cases of missing persons in other provinces but Sindh has dared to raise voice against such violations of human rights.
These views were expressed at a seminar on occasion of Human Rights Day organized here by SAFWCO and Social Change. Noted Human Rights activist and lawyer Faisal Siddiqui said only voice against forced disappearances was being heard from Sindh while voice of Balochistan has been crushed with force. Though many persons were missing in KPK and Punjab but from there no voice is heard.
He said our judiciary has come out of colonization era and was giving right decisions. He said it was he who had filed petition in SHC for IG Sindh A.D.Khwaja. He said he was harassed for being advocate against Baldia Factory burning of 258 persons, Shahzeb Jatoi case and other cases for which he was harassed and could not open his office for many months. He said now powerful forces were active human rights.
The gathering paid tributes to Pubhal Saryo, convener of missing persons forum who was whisked away by agencies and released after more than 2 months. Punhal Saryo said it has become very difficult to work for human rights in situation where human rights defenders were also not safe.
HR activists lawyer Ali Palh said instead of implementing rules and orders on sugar mill owners the rulers in Sindh have turned as robbers. Yet we can get rights under constitution. Zulfiqar Halepoto, Suleman Abro, Razia Junejo and others also spoke on the occasion.